


you hide it well despite the dark around your eyes

by exhaustedwerewolf



Category: Critical Role (Web Series)
Genre: (over hairstyles), (probably), Bitch I might be, Bonding, Canon Compliant, Canon-typical swearing, Crushes, Drabble, F/M, I'm Sorry, Mentioned/Implied Pikelan, One-Shot, Pre-Relationship, Pre-Stream (Critical Role), Shyness induced by being kinda into the weird guy you picked up from the jail cell, am I moving slowly through every vox machina ship?, idk I wrote this in one go
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-05
Updated: 2018-04-05
Packaged: 2019-04-18 23:15:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 824
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14223930
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/exhaustedwerewolf/pseuds/exhaustedwerewolf
Summary: Inspired by @vexahliaderolo's post on tumblr:"pike and perc post-rez bonding over traumatic experiences turning their hair white and percy being extremely vague because he hasn’t admitted anything about the briarwoods or whitestone to vox machina yet"





	you hide it well despite the dark around your eyes

**Author's Note:**

> Title taken from "Hello Hello" by Fickle Friends, hope you enjoy <3

Pike scrunched up her face, and let the pale strands fall about her shoulders again. The glimpses of white in the corners of her vision were still oddly distracting, but staring at her reflection didn’t seem to be helping any. She narrowed her eyes and took up a strand of it, fingering the ends of it as if she expected it to feel different when she caught sight of a figure in the doorway behind her.

 

“Oh, Percy!” She said in surprise, turning, noticing the dark circles under his eyes, and trying to ignore the pang of concern. “I didn’t hear you.”

 

“Good morning, Pike.” He answered, voice a little rough with the earliness of the hour, leaning against the door frame. “Adjusting to your new look?”

 

“Oh, right.” She turned back to her reflection. “I was just…” She trailed off, feeling a little foolish, combing through her hair with her fingers again.

 

“I remember,” He hummed drowsily, watching her out of the corner of her eye. “It’s quite a shock, isn’t it?” Her hands froze, mid-movement.

 

“What?” She asked, peering at him through the grime of the mirror, unable to read his expression.

 

“What?” He asked back, blinking tiredly once, before his eyes widened as if a thought had struck him. “Oh.”

 

“Percy…” Pike began, biting her lip- but the curiosity won out. “Were you _resurrected_?” The words came out strained, somewhere between worried and accusatory and maybe hopeful.

 

“No,” he said quickly, and then shut his eyes for a second as if cursing himself inwardly. When he opened them again, he mumbled; “I… dye it.”

 

Pike gave him a dubious look.

 

“Consistently,” She said flatly, folding her arms. “As I have seen you doing so many times. When we’re on the road.”

 

Percy made a small noise of dissent and looked pointedly away. Pike breathed in deeply, feeling a sigh building in her chest, but blew the air out of the corner of her mouth quietly.

 

“I’m sorry, Percy, I'm not trying to pry. You don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to.”

 

She turned back to the mirror, and took up a small wooden brush. For a few moments, there was only the methodical, sweeping sound of it, before-

 

“... I brought it up.” He said, still staring at the floor. She hesitated, looking at him again through the mirror.

 

“I’m not going to ask about it.” She promised, because it seemed like he was trying to apologise.

 

“You could try putting it up differently, if it’s bothering you.” He was looking at her out of the corner of his eye now. “I cut mine, after. It... felt better.”

 

She raised an eyebrow at him, but piled the white locks experimentally into a messy bun, examining her reflection thoughtfully. And then she found herself smiling.

 

“I’ll try that,” she replied, groping around for a hair tie with her free hand. “Thank you, Percy.”

 

“Anytime.” He dipped his head politely. “And if it’s really getting to you, just ask Scanlan what he thinks. He’ll certainly do his best to convince you it looks good.”

 

“Hm,” She grinned, her fingers closing around the tie, and she set about putting her hair up. “Not exactly an unbiased opinion, but I’ll keep it in mind.”

 

“Happy I could be of assistance.” He offered her a small smile in return as she turned, newly styled, and gestured to him to enter the room. “Thank you.”

 

“Thanks for waiting.” She said, kicking aside the step left for dwarven, gnomish, and otherwise vertically challenged patrons, for him. And then turning back, suddenly emboldened, “What do _you_ think?”

 

“I’m sorry?” Percy paused, tilting his head in confusion, and she couldn’t deny the blaze in her veins when his eyes finally met hers.

 

“The white hair.” She clarified, trying not to fall into that ridiculous, summer sky, cornflower blue she glimpsed so rarely- shaking her head, she blurted; “I hope I’m not stealing your look!”

 

To her surprise, he laughed lightly, covering his mouth as if by reflex of etiquette.

 

“You’re right, we match.” He said, recovering from the laughter, and adjusting his glasses. “That’s nice.”

 

 _Shit._ Pike thought, as a surge of golden-glowing warmth rushed through her chest. _Shitshitshitshit-_

 

“Oh, it is?” She tried to inject a note of causality into her voice, but it came out more like she was exchanging banter with Grog than asking a serious question. Still, he confirmed;

 

“It is,” as he stepped up to the basin and mirror. “I think Keyleth wanted you downstairs.” His words were punctuated by the splashing of the water as he leaned down to wash his face. “Something about which spells she should get ready before we go?”

 

“Oh right, I almost forgot,” Pike said, heart hammering in her chest like her mace. “I’ll go do that- I’ll see you at breakfast?”

 

“See you at breakfast.” He answered, but Pike was already halfway down the corridor.


End file.
